Movers Guide to Establishing Safety in a New Home

Updated:
July 18, 2017

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3 minute read

Establishing safety in a new home should be one of the more important considerations for home buyers and renters. A house or neighborhood that is unsafe can be dangerous to the primary resident, their family, and their property. A home should be a sanctuary where one feels the safest and should not be prone to danger or left vulnerable. Six things to consider when moving into a new home include alarm systems, locks, crime rates, the home history, gang presence, and security cameras.

An effective alarm system is the foundation of establishing safety in a new home. Alarm systems help protect you and your family when you are home and protect your house and property when you are not. It can be easy for a determined intruder to break into a home. An alarm system will notify the homeowner and authorities of breaches in security. Police departments have great response times to triggered alarms and this is priceless when one is incapable to make an emergency call. An alarm system along with a sign or some type of communication of the presence of the alarm system is also a great deterrent. Many would be criminals will bypass homes that have alarm systems to target easier prey.

Proper locks and barriers on weak points of a home is crucial in house safety. If the alarm notifies you of an attempted intrusion, an effective security barrier will help keep intruders out until help can arrive. Many homes have simple locks, weak wooden doors, and typically glass windows. A home that is truly secure should have multiple reinforced locks on every door. The actual primary door in every doorway can be reinforced itself with extra strong hinges and thickness to be resistant to kick downs and other attacks. Primary doors in every doorway can be complimented with storm and screened barred doors to produce an extra layer of protection. Security bars and metal covers over windows are another great addition because windows with just normal glass are one of the weakest points of entry for a home. Sturdy security garage doors if applicable are also beneficial.

The crime rate of a neighborhood is one of the biggest indicators of the overall safety of an area that one is moving to. Making your specific home safe as possible is one thing, but choosing a house in a neighborhood that is as safe as possible is just as critical. Mayhem and crime can occur anywhere, even in the most upscale and expensive neighborhoods but crime ridden neighborhoods are significantly less safe. Your are less dependent on your last line of defense if you are not in the line of fire and a high crime rate in a prospective neighborhood can put one in the line of fire. Also, a bad neighborhood can put you in danger when you’re outside the comfort and security of your home such as when walking the dog, checking the mail, or driving to work.

Ensuring a gang presence is not in the potential neighborhood is something that is closely related to the crime rate of the area and is just as important. Not all crime is reported, so to look deeper into the safety of a neighborhood beyond what the statistics tell may be necessary. Many cities have maps designated with gang activity to keep citizens aware of their surroundings. Becoming a victim or being caught up as a bystander in gang on gang violence may be avoidable with a little research.

Installing security cameras are a big help with managing the security of your home. It not only gives you eyes outside the house and informs you of what’s going on out there but it can also be used as evidence if an incident ever did occur.

Knowing the history of a home gives peace of mind and can protect the residents from tangible and intangible risks. A home’s past can contain anything from dangerous animals infestations, drug activity that may have questionable people returning there in the future looking for former action, to deaths in the home that could have spiritual or supernatural consequences.

There are plenty of parameters to take when establishing safety in a new home. The safety of the neighborhood and security of the home are critical components of doing this, along with other factors.